Mail delivery is a service generally taken for granted by most individuals, with some form of mail receptacle located on a property, residence or place of business. These receptacles range from the standard rural delivery box, to individual mail boxes in a residential complex, hand delivery by mail carrier, or in many instances, delivery through a slot in a door, which is generally the front door. After mail is inserted through the door slot, the mail usually falls to the floor. If the delivery has occurred while an individual has left the premises, the delivered mail may block entrance to the location, and after entry, usually requires the individual to bend over and retrieve the items. These activities are not generally a problem for healthy individuals, individuals who are disabled, or have difficulties with balance or bending, find picking up the mail can be a difficult task.
One approach to address this problem has been positioning a box beneath the mail slot to catch the items delivered. This does not solve the problem, because one still has to bend over to reach the box and remove its contents. Placement of a small table or snack tray beneath the mail slot can prevent mail from falling to the floor, provided that the table is positioned properly, but also requires the table to be moved back and forth when using the door to exit or enter the location.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a folding shelf that is mounted to a door that contains a slot for inserting mail or other items therethrough, such that the items, after insertion, are retained in the tray. The tray can be moved from a storage position where it may rest against the door to its operative position, beneath the mail slot and extending from the door, in a generally perpendicular manner, and is retained in that position either by means of a support, such as a bracket underneath the tray, or held by a chain or similar means, to move the tray to and from its operative position.